Craig Finn and co. bare first 'Teeth Dreams' single

The Hold Steady have shared the first single from their upcoming sixth album, Teeth Dreams. Titled “I Hope This Whole Thing Didn’t Frighten You,” the new track doesn’t drastically reinvent the Brooklyn gang’s brand of hyperliterate anthem-rock, but it does amplify their sound. Discussing the entire LP with Rolling Stone, frontman Craig Finn said, “We were looking to make a big rock record… Maybe it’s less wild but in some ways that makes it a bigger record.”

And “I Hope This Whole Thing Didn’t Frighten You” definitely files in the “big rock” category, with its studio-polished guitar licks and radio-ready heft. Finn’s still speak-singing about characters who hang out “down by the river,” “wear bulletproof vests,” and “always got something to prove,” but his parables sound better suited for a stadium stage, not the dive bar jukebox.

Head over to RS to stream “I Hope This Whole Thing Didn’t Frighten You,” scroll down for the Hold Steady’s upcoming 10th anniversary tour dates, and stay tuned for more details on the follow-up to 2010’s Heaven Is Whenever — Teeth Dreams is set to arrive on March 25 via Washington Square Records, a new imprint launched by Razor & Tie.

And also watch out for the band’s forthcoming, fan-funded covers EP called RAGS. Proceeds will benefit the K + L Guardian Foundation, a fund started in honor of Mike Van Jura, a devoted Hold Steady fan who died unexpectedly in 2012.